A quick-hit recap of what really mattered from Thursday through Sunday. We skip the obvious studs and instead focus on usage trends, injuries, and key shifts that actually impact your lineup decisions.

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Daily Dose newsletter, our “Fantasy Fallout” day. In this article, you will get a quick rundown of the relevant things we learned from the week’s games from Thursday through Sunday. 

We won’t talk about every single player and we usually won’t spend time on studs who go nuts (no one needs to be told to start Saquon Barkley right now!), but rather, the idea is to update you on usage trends, injuries, and other relevant things to help your decisions with your teams for the coming week and beyond.

DOLPHINS @ BILLS

• Dalton Kincaid led the Bills with six targets and had a solid 5-66-1 fantasy line. Five different Bills’ WRs caught a pass, led by Khalil Shakir (4-45-1). No Bills WR had more than four targets.
• Rookie RB Ollie Gordon II handled nine of 21 Dolphins RB carries for 38 yards and scored a goal-line TD. He’s worth a roster spot in most leagues as a strong backup RB with upside for more work.
• Jaylen Waddle scored for a second week in a row and has 5+ targets and 4+ catches in every game this season. WR Malik Washington had five touches for 32 yards and appears to be carving out a complementary role in the Phins’ offense.

BENGALS @ VIKINGS

• The “Battle of the Backups” went decisively to Carson Wentz and the Vikings over Jake Browning and the Bengals. Browning looked terrible, while Wentz looked strong, but the results should be viewed through the lens of the situation. Browning played a very difficult Vikings defensive scheme, while Wentz played a very weak Bengals defense. 
• Jordan Mason had a dominant performance in his first game as Minnesota’s feature back, going over 100 rushing yards and scoring two touchdowns. He is a locked-in starter for your fantasy teams.
• The Vikings will get wide receiver Jordan Addison back from his three-game suspension next week, which will surely affect the target shares of all players.
• Things don’t get easier anytime soon for the Bengals, as they face the Broncos, Lions, and Packers over the next three weeks. Temper your expectations.

TEXANS @ JAGUARS

• Jacksonville’s touchdowns both came from their running backs, with Travis Etienne Jr. and Bhayshul Tuten each scoring once while posting modest statistics otherwise in a tough matchup.
• The Jaguars passing game struggled once again as Trevor Lawrence completed only 50% of his passes and Brian Thomas Jr. did nothing all game until a 40+ yard reception on their final drive.
• Nico Collins busted out of his slump and scored on a busted coverage by Jacksonville, but the rest of Houston’s offense was a mess once again.

COLTS @ TITANS

• Daniel Jones once again played very well in a dominant Colts victory. The touchdowns went to Jonathan Taylor this week, but Jones once again played at a high level. He should be rostered in all leagues.
• Colts tight end Tyler Warren had a modest game on the stat sheet and his snaps were down, but he ran a route on 89% of the team’s dropbacks. Don’t panic, the eruption is coming.
• Calvin Ridley was held to one catch as the Titans offense struggled once again. Ridley will likely have another tough game against Houston in Week 4, but don’t drop him as life gets easier with the Cardinals, Raiders, and Patriots in the weeks that follow.

RAIDERS @ COMMANDERS

• Ashton Jeanty was hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on 11 of his 17 rushes in Week 3….and still managed to post 63 rushing yards. Not a day that will excite his fantasy managers, and these line issues aren’t going to magically disappear. Jeanty faces the Bears in Week 4, and if he can post a big game, that would be a good time to consider trading him.
• Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker absolutely erupted for eight receptions // 145 yards // three TDs. Most of this production came with the Raiders playing from a large deficit, but that is the type of performance that is hard for a coaching staff not to consider moving forward. We shouldn’t expect Tucker to do something like that again, but he isn’t going to disappear either.
• Marcus Mariota did an admirable job in relief of Jayden Daniels and is a viable streaming option any week that he is starting.
• The Commanders are using a full-blown RB committee, and none of them can be trusted right now unless your team has some truly dire circumstances.

RAMS @ EAGLES

• Puka Nacua and Davante Adams did what they do, dominating targets and playing well. No other Rams receivers or tight ends should be considered as long as both are healthy.
• Blake Corum is legitimately good and needs to be rostered in every league. Kyren Williams still handled the bulk of the work, but Corum would smash if Williams ever misses time.
• The Eagles’ passing game finally woke up after they fell behind by three scores and had to open things up. Just a reminder not to panic too soon on your studs. 
• Speaking of studs, Saquon Barkley had another pedestrian game but is still Saquon Barkley. He is an elite “Buy Low” candidate.

FALCONS @ PANTHERS

Your weekly roadmap to the wire. Each Tuesday, Tony Kneepkens highlights the top adds across positions — complete with FAAB recommendations and context to help you prioritize based on your league size and format.

These are the top players to consider adding from waivers this week. Unless otherwise noted, all players below are available in greater than 50% of Yahoo leagues (as of Sunday evening). Priorities and FAAB recommendations are meant to differentiate between some of the options available and are assuming 12-team, single-QB, fantasy formats.

It’s a strong week for waivers with what looks like a potential league-winning RB pickup available in nearly half of leagues and several medium-priority targets at the other skill-positions. Remember that bye weeks start with four teams off in Week 5, so it might be wise to start to look ahead at where and when you will need coverage and at what positions.

QB Streamer of the Week

Geno Smith, LV, Week 4 vs CHI

• Geno had an efficient passing game throwing for 289 yards and tossing three TDs to WR Tre Tucker in last week’s loss to the Commanders. Things seem to be looking up for the Raiders’ offense with Tucker’s career day, rookie RB Ashton Jeanty rushing for a career-best 63 yards, and superstar TE Brock Bowers coming off of the injury report ahead of last week’s game after being questionable for the better part of two weeks. 
• Low-priority add. Geno has had two good games in the first three weeks and he’s is my favorite widely available streamer this week, home against the Bears, in a game with a solid (46.5) implied point total.
• 3% or less of FAAB.

Longer-term QB stash ::

• Jaxson Dart (NYG) – Giants’ starting QB Russell Wilson had his worst game of the young season in a primetime loss to the Chiefs on SNF. Wilson passed for 160 scoreless yards and threw two interceptions and HC Brian Daboll claims the team is “looking at everything” this week, stopping short of naming a starting QB for their next game against the Chargers. Dart might be a tough add with bye weeks starting to kick in next week, but if your bench is deep enough, Dart might be worth an early stash.

RB Pickups

Trey Benson, AZ, Week 4 vs SEA (52% rostered)

• Benson is set to take over a featured RB role for a solid Cardinals offense in the wake of veteran James Conner’s serious foot/ankle injury suffered last week. Benson was already being featured in the passing game and as a complementary runner this year. Now the former top-70 draft pick should have the opportunity for as much work as he can handle.
• High-priority add. Adding a talented RB on a good offense with limited competition this early in the season is about as impactful as a waiver addition can be.
• 100% of FAAB, top waiver priority, etc.

Blake Corum, LAR, Week 4 vs IND

• Corum had season bests with eight carries and 53 rushing yards in the Rams’ loss to the Eagles last week and now has 97 yards and a TD over the last two weeks. He remains the only Rams’ RB with a touch this season other than starting RB Kyren Williams.
• Medium-priority add. Corum is the right kind of bench stash as a primary backup RB on a solid offense. It’s a bonus that his team has shown it is willing to play him in various downs and distances. He’s my favorite of this next group of contingent-upside RBs based on the best overall offense of the three.
• 10 – 20% of FAAB.

Ollie Gordon II, MIA, Week 4 vs NYJ

• Ollie G handled nine of 21 Dolphins’ RB carries in their TNF loss to the Bills last week and scored his first career TD from two yards out. Gordon handled his largest role of the year despite second-year RB Jaylen Wright being active for the first time this season.
• Medium-priority add. Miami has been pretty intentional about featuring another RB alongside their star man De’Von Achane in his young career and Ollie looks like a natural complement. Gordon is a great bench stash for his combination of short-yardage role and contingent upside as a primary backup RB.
• 5 – 15% of FAAB.

Woody Marks, HOU, Week 4 vs TEN

• Houston removed veteran RB Dare Ogunbawale from their three-man RB rotation last week, which meant career bests in carries, yards, and targets for Marks as he operated as the primary backup to Nick Chubb. Marks handled 40% of the teams’ RB carries and 33% of their RB targets last week.
• Medium-priority add. The Texans appear to be intent on featuring Chubb as their primary RB. but they did make an aggressive move up in April’s draft for Woody and there’s no reason his role shouldn’t continue to expand as the season progresses. Another RB with some standalone value and massive contingent upside.
• 5 -15% of FAAB.

Priority RB stash ::

Each week, Juan Carlos Blanco spotlights 4–5 under-the-radar plays who combine DFS tournament upside with season-long streaming value. These matchup-driven picks are usually available in most leagues.

Each week, Streaming Sleepers will highlight at least five non-QB skill-position players that currently have start or roster rates of 20% or less in season-long leagues but may be prudent options this week due to matchups and other circumstances, particularly in deeper formats. 

Beginning this week, we’re also focusing in one defense that could be set up for success in their game.

Additionally, the plays suggested here could be viable DFS large-field tournament options for the coming slate and are likely to carry modest ownership rates in that format as well.

Brenton Strange, JAX at SF – 9% start rate

Strange returns to this column this week after posting a season-best 6-61-0 line on seven targets in Week 3 against the Texans. The third-year tight end has encouragingly seen his snaps increase over that of the prior game in each of the last pair of contests, and he is the clear top pass-catching option at his position in Liam Coen’s offense.

Trevor Lawrence has had trouble connecting consistently with Brian Thomas Jr., who’s also reportedly battling a wrist injury. Meanwhile, Travis Hunter has averaged just 4.8 yards per target and sports an aDOT of 6.3 yards, while No. 3 receiver Dyami Brown is now dealing with a shoulder injury that forced his exit from the win over Houston.

The 49ers have surrendered a 15-114-2 line on 24 targets to tight ends in the first three weeks, and Strange appears to increasingly have Lawrence’s confidence.

Elic Ayomanor, TEN at HOU – 4% start rate

Ayomanor makes a return appearance this week, as he delivered with another TD in Week 3. Additionally, better times could be ahead for the Titans’ air attack considering Tuesday’s news that head coach Brian Callahan is surrendering play-calling duties to QB coach Bo Hardegree, who already has experience bringing along a rookie signal-caller when he served in the QB coach/interim OC capacity for the Raiders during Aidan O’Connell’s rookie 2023 campaign. 

Ayomanor was arguably the victim of some of the collateral damage of Callahan’s relatively conservative tendencies in the handling of rookie first overall pick Cam Ward. Ayomanor has still managed a 10-107-2 line on 18 targets through three games and is averaging just over 2.0 yards per route run, so he’s a very viable play under what could be a more aggressive attack despite the talent of the Texans defense. 

Darnell Mooney, ATL vs. WAS – 5% start rate 

Xandamere breaks down the Thursday Night Football matchup with leverage angles and roster construction tips — the perfect way for fantasy players to start learning DFS through Showdown.

XANDAMERE’S SHOWDOWN SLANT

Week 4 is upon us, and it begins with the Seahawks visiting the Cardinals for a 43.5 total game with the visitors favored by a point and a half. So far, the Seahawks have been playing really well, barely losing to the 49ers in Week 1 before putting up 75 points across Weeks 2-3 against the Steelers and Saints while only allowing 30 points. While they have faced below-average offenses thus far, the Hawks defense looks pretty solid. The Cardinals are also 2-1 with a close loss against the 49ers while beating up on the mediocre Panthers and Saints, but those wins have been much closer affairs. Their defense has held on but still given up a lot of passing production, while it’s fair to say the Arizona offense has not yet fully clicked into gear. 

ARIZONA

We’ll start with the home team. The Cards backfield just lost James Conner for the season, leaving the backfield to Trey Benson with Emari Demercado backing him up. Benson had already been playing a fair bit and has looked good doing it, so far running for 6 yards per carry and catching 8 of 11 targets on the season. The Seahawks have looked good on run defense so far, but Benson is likely to step into quite a large role. Last week, Demercado only played 7 offensive snaps after Conner was hurt. It might look a bit different with a full week to prepare, but I’d expect Benson to play at least 70% of the snaps with a correspondingly large workload, and while the matchup isn’t great, he just isn’t priced for that at $8,800. The large passing game role we’ve seen so far is especially encouraging. At his price, he’s a solid value and a play I will be overweight on. Demercado is hard to get a handle on. He will certainly have some kind of role, but it’s unclear how big of one. He’s priced at an awkward level if he only ends up playing sub-20% of the snaps, like he did last week.

Showdown Ownership Projections!

Ownership updates automatically

In the passing game, the Cards will almost certainly be without Zay Jones, who sustained a concussion last week and is going to have a really tough time getting through the protocol on a short week. I’m assuming he’s out, which should leave Arizona primarily using Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson, with Greg Dortch seeing increased snaps and then perhaps Xavier Weaver or Semi Fohoko will see the field in a very small WR4 role. Harrison is wildly talented, but so far has a very modest 19.3% target share this season with 5-6 targets in every game. $7,800 is a weird price for him in that it’s clearly too cheap for his talent, but his role has been oddly small. There’s still plenty of time for that to change, and at this point in the season, I want to buy the talent. The Cardinals may not be the sharpest franchise in the league, but certainly they’re not stupid enough to refuse to use one of their best offensive players…right? The rest of the wide receivers are all punt options as Arizona’s offense is really built around the running back, Harrison, and tight end Trey McBride. WR2 Michael Wilson is on the field for most of the snaps but has 8 targets on the year – he’d be my next favorite option, as at $3,400 he’s priced like a guy who’s a part-time player. OWS favorite Dortch is a guy who has always succeeded when given opportunity, but has had a tough time finding consistent opportunity. He’s a little riskier than Wilson as it’s possible the Cards could just continue to refuse to play him – he should see more run without Jones, but it might not matter if Kyler Murray doesn’t throw to him, or perhaps Arizona plays more 12 personnel sets instead – there’s risk but upside in a guy who has historically been a great route runner with an elite catch rate.

At tight end, McBride is the (very) rare tight end who leads his team in target share, target rate, and share of air yards. McBride’s 27.3% target rate is the highest in the league for a tight end. He’s the real primary pass catcher in this offense. He’s priced like it all the way up at $9,800, but he can be viewed more as a WR1 than a TE, and importantly, he’s the WR1 in a pretty concentrated offense. He’s a bit of a toss-up with Benson as my favorite Cards skill position play. He’s more talented than Benson, but Benson wins out on the strength of the role. The Seahawks have also given up an awful lot of production to tight ends early: George Kittle went 4/25/1 on 4 targets in just 21 offensive snaps before getting hurt, the Steelers two primary tight ends caught 7 of 8 targets for 58 yards, and the Saints Juwan Johnson caught 6 of 8 targets for 51 yards last week. McBride looks to be in a really nice spot. TE2 Tip Reiman is primarily a blocker who can be utilized as a “hope he gets a short touchdown” punt play (he does have 4 targets in two games, so it’s not totally crazy, and then TE3 Elijah Higgins is a similar player profile, except he’ll be on the field far less than Reiman. Both are viable punt plays, with Reiman being the (slightly) better option due to more field time. 

SEATTLE

Each Friday, Mike Johnson tackles lineup and trade dilemmas pulled from the OWS X and our Fantasy Football Discord channel. Real questions, real context, and actionable advice to guide you through the toughest calls of the week.

Some things in fantasy football are easy. We know we should start Puka Nacua and Bijan Robinson. We know we should bench the backup running back who is only on our roster in case of injury and the guy who was ruled out early in the week. A lot of the decisions are made for us. However, there are a lot of things that are not so simple. All of the “in between” situations are what can make the difference between a few wins and losses, and therefore it can be the difference between a successful season or a failed season. Every Friday, we are here to help!!

I’ll take questions each week in our #fantasy-football channel in our Discord from people looking for Start/Sit advice and give my thoughts. This article will feature a few of those questions and responses each Friday, so join our Discord to be a part of the conversation or ask questions of your own!!

Question 1 :: PPR. Jordan Love or Brock Purdy?  Need 2 from Chase Brown, D’Andre Swift, TreVeyon Henderson and Cam Skattebo.  Also need 2 from Ricky Pearsall, McConkey, McMillan and Mooney.  Many thanks! (readymix47)

Answer :: Purdy at QB. Love has a great matchup in Dallas, but the Packers love to run the ball, especially near the goal line, so their backfield could soak up most of the scoring. Purdy has CMC to throw to so backfield scoring could benefit him as well, while this also correlates your roster with Pearsall.

Chase Brown and Cam Skattebo as your running backs. I am sticking with the volume here, as both of these two should be in workhorse roles.

Ricky Pearsall and Ladd McConkey as your wide receivers. Pearsall should once again be the primary target for the 49ers and correlates with Purdy. McConkey is on a pass-heavy offense in a great matchup where his team should score a lot. 

Question 2 :: Full PPR. Need to start 2: Deebo Samuel, George Pickens, DJ Moore, Troy Franklin (MattyB)

Answer :: Have to go with Deebo and Pickens here. Moore has a nice matchup against the Raiders, but the Bears are more than happy to spread things around, while Franklin also has a nice matchup but we saw last week how fickle his role will be with the Broncos. I wouldn’t overthink it, go with the two players who are likely to be their team’s target leader.

Question 3 :: 0.5 PPR. Have to start 2 of these 4. Xavier Worthy, Jaylen Waddle, Emeka Egbuka, Jauan Jennings (emtebr44)

Every Saturday, MJohnson86 posts full positional rankings (QB, RB, WR, TE, DEF) to get you ready for Sunday’s slate. Built for 12-team, full-PPR formats — with insights that translate across most league settings.

The weekend is here and it’s time to get our lineups set before Sunday’s full slate of games. Each week, the Saturday edition of the Daily Dose will feature my rankings for all players who have yet to play a game this week. Obviously this will not include the Thursday games, but always feel free to hit me up in Discord or on X/Twitter if you have some tough decisions around guys who play on Thursday. 

Most of the leagues I play in are full-PPR, 12-team leagues and these rankings are designed for those settings – you may need to make some slight adjustments based on your own league settings.

QB :: 

1. Lamar Jackson
2. Jalen Hurts
3. Josh Allen
4. Justin Herbert
5. Patrick Mahomes
6. Caleb Williams
7. Drake Maye
8. Bo Nix
9. Daniel Jones
10. Brock Purdy
11. Jordan Love
12. Baker Mayfield
13. Jared Goff
14. Marcus Mariota
15. Geno Smith
16. Matthew Stafford
17. Justin Fields** (must clear concussion protocol to play)
18. C.J. Stroud
19. Trevor Lawrence
20. Dak Prescott
21. Michael Penix Jr.
22. Jaxson Dart
23. Tua Tagovailoa
24. Carson Wentz
25. Cam Ward
26. Jake Browning
27. Bryce Young
28. Aaron Rodgers
29. Spencer Rattler
30. Joe Flacco

RB ::

1. Christian McCaffrey
2. Jonathan Taylor
3. Bijan Robinson
4. De’Von Achane
5. Saquon Barkley
6. Josh Jacobs
7. James Cook
8. Jahmyr Gibbs
9. Derrick Henry
10. Bucky Irving
11. Omarion Hampton
12. Kyren Williams
13. Jordan Mason
14. Ashton Jeanty
15. Breece Hall
16. Alvin Kamara
17. Cam Skattebo
18. Travis Etienne Jr.
19. Tony Pollard
20. Chase Brown
21. Jaylen Warren
22. J.K. Dobbins
23. D’Andre Swift
24. Quinshon Judkins
25. David Montgomery
26. TreVeyon Henderson
27. Javonte Williams
28. Chuba Hubbard
29. Rhamondre Stevenson
30. Bhayshul Tuten
31. RJ Harvey
32. Woody Marks
33. Nick Chubb
34. Ollie Gordon
35. Jacory Croskey-Merritt
36. Isiah Pacheco
37. Kareem Hunt
38. Tyler Allgeier
39. Jeremy McNichols
40. Blake Corum

WR :: 

Mike Johnson (MJohnson86) has racked up over $500,000 in DFS profit as an NFL tournament player with success in all styles of contests

Welcome back to my (Mjohnson86) Player Grid. The format will vary slightly from JM’s Player Grid, as we each see things slightly differently and play in slightly different contests, but should complement his thoughts and content very well for those looking to build their lineups for the week. The format of this article will vary slightly from my Fanduel Player Grid, which will be more direct in terms of which players I like. Enjoy!!

The Core ::

This is a list of players that stand out to me at each position from using my “Checking the Boxes” criteria outlined in my course you can find in our Marketplace. This list is a starting point, from which I build out lineups using game theory and roster construction concepts (which we will also touch on) with the mindset being to find the best plays with big ceilings. Low ownership is a bonus, but not a must. This section will focus primarily on three positions – running back, tight end, and defense – as the other two positions (quarterback and wide receiver) tend to have more dependent tendencies which I try to attack from other angles (which we will get into in the other sections). I like all of these plays on all sites unless otherwise noted:

Running Back ::

• Omarion Hampton – Don’t overthink it. Checks every box (talent/draft profile, volume, game environment, matchup) and is moderately priced. High floor and the potential for him to showcase a previously unseen ceiling. The Giants also have faced relatively mundane rushing offenses so far, and this is the best rushing matchup the Chargers have seen this season.
• Christian McCaffrey – Another easy click, CMC is AVERAGING 11 targets per game. The workload is insane, and at some point, he is going to have a two or three touchdown game, which will make him a must-have on that Sunday.
• Bucky Irving – Irving has at least four targets in every game, scoring just under 10 points per game through his receiving alone. He has yet to score a rushing touchdown or run for over 100 yards, which are both surely to happen at some point. Bucky had 29 opportunities last week as the Bucs need him to move the ball while their wide receivers are dealing with injuries. Finally, the Bucs get All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs back this week, which significantly improves Irving’s outlook.
• Kyren Williams – The Rams have the third-highest team total on the slate behind the Bills and Lions. Kyren is the workhorse RB and is priced in the mid-tier, while facing a defense that is solid but not elite. 
• Jonathan Taylor – This may seem like stat chasing, but I don’t care. The level JT is playing at and his insane usage make him someone we have to consider every week unless it is a special circumstance. Priced as the RB5 and a full $1,000 below CMC, Taylor can drop 30 in any matchup.

For the MME Crowd ::

• James Cook – Almost left him off, but he must at least be mentioned. Cook has over 20 DK points in every game this year and an elite matchup on tap with the Saints. The biggest risk factors here are the chances this game gets out of hand and the always looming potential for Josh Allen to steal a rushing TD or two.
• TreVeyon Henderson – This one will catch people a little off guard, but I think this is the Henderson breakout week. New England is desperate for an offensive spark and he can be that guy. The other two Patriots RBs who have been playing ahead of him fumbled a combined three times last week. Finally, Henderson’s struggles have been in pass protection, but Carolina has a very low blitz rate. All things are lining up for Henderson to be a cheap and explosive option who sees a spike in usage in a great matchup. A GPP delight.
• Cam Skattebo – The Giants offense needs a spark and Skattebo can be that guy. He plays with a high level of energy and should be a bell cow with Tyrone Tracy Jr. inactive. His expected role along with his salary, makes him someone we must consider because of what he opens up for the rest of the roster.

Tight End ::